U.S. patent application number 12/605572 was filed with the patent office on 2011-04-28 for systems and methods for television receiving system setup including terrestrial transmitter locating.
This patent application is currently assigned to EchoStar Technologies. L.L.C.. Invention is credited to Steven Casagrande.
Application Number | 20110096243 12/605572 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43545043 |
Filed Date | 2011-04-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110096243 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Casagrande; Steven |
April 28, 2011 |
Systems and Methods for Television Receiving System Setup Including
Terrestrial Transmitter Locating
Abstract
A television receiving device may include a tuner configured to
selectively tune a television channel from a first plurality of
television channels received from a primary television programming
source and a second plurality received from a television
programming source other than the primary source, wherein the
second plurality is received as over-the-air terrestrial television
signals. The device may further include a processor configured to
set the tuner to receive the second plurality based on location
information of the device and location information of a plurality
of over-the-air terrestrial antennas. A system for receiving
television signals may include a processor configured to set a
television receiving device to receive over-the-air television
signals from select over-the-air terrestrial antennas, and to
determine the select over-the-air terrestrial antennas based on
location information of one of the television receiving device and
an antenna device and location information of the plurality of
over-the-air terrestrial antennas.
Inventors: |
Casagrande; Steven; (Castle
Rock, CO) |
Assignee: |
EchoStar Technologies.
L.L.C.
Englewood
CO
|
Family ID: |
43545043 |
Appl. No.: |
12/605572 |
Filed: |
October 26, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
348/731 ;
348/E5.097 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/6112 20130101;
H04N 5/50 20130101; H04N 21/4383 20130101; H04N 21/4622 20130101;
H04H 60/51 20130101; H04N 21/4345 20130101; H04H 60/42 20130101;
H04N 21/4524 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
348/731 ;
348/E05.097 |
International
Class: |
H04N 5/50 20060101
H04N005/50 |
Claims
1. A television receiving device, comprising: at least one tuner
configured to selectively tune a television channel from a first
plurality of television channels received from a primary television
programming source and a second plurality of television channels
received from a television programming source other than the
primary television programming source, the second plurality of
television channels received as over-the-air terrestrial television
signals; and a processor configured to set the at least one tuner
to receive the second plurality of television channels based on
location information of the television receiving device and
location information of a plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
antennas.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to
select a subset of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
antennas based on the location information of the television
receiving device and the location information of the plurality of
over-the-air terrestrial antennas, and to scan only for frequencies
at which over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the subset transmit
over-the-air terrestrial television signals.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein scanning for the frequencies
yields a signal strength associated with each of the over-the-air
terrestrial antennas of the subset, and the processor is configured
to set the at least one tuner to receive the second plurality of
television channels from over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the
subset for which the associated signal strength is not less than a
predetermined threshold.
4. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to
determine a heading for each of the over-the-air terrestrial
antennas of the subset, and to scan for the frequency of each of
the over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the subset only along the
determined heading for the respective over-the-air terrestrial
antennas of the subset.
5. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to
select the subset of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
antennas based on a distance between the television receiving
device and each of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
antennas.
6. The device of claim 2, wherein the location information of the
television receiving device comprises a postal zipcode
corresponding to a location of the television receiving device, the
location information of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
antennas comprises, for each respective over-the-air terrestrial
antenna of the plurality, a postal zipcode corresponding to a
location of the respective over-the-air terrestrial antenna, and
the processor is configured to select the subset of the plurality
of over-the-air terrestrial antennas based on a distance between a
predetermined location associated with the postal zipcode
corresponding to the location of the television receiving device
and a predetermined location associated with the postal zipcode
corresponding to the location of the respective over-the-air
terrestrial antenna for each of the plurality of over-the-air
terrestrial antennas.
7. The device of claim 2, wherein the location information of the
television receiving device comprises a latitude and a longitude
corresponding to a location of the television receiving device, the
location information of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
antennas comprises, for each respective over-the-air terrestrial
antenna of the plurality, a latitude and a longitude corresponding
to a location of the respective over-the-air terrestrial antenna,
and the processor is configured to select the subset of the
plurality of over-the-air terrestrial antennas based on a distance
between the latitude and longitude corresponding to the location of
the television receiving device and the latitude and longitude
corresponding to the location of the respective over-the-air
terrestrial antenna for each of the plurality of over-the-air
terrestrial antennas.
8. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to
receive the location information of the television receiving device
as a street address defining the location of the television
receiving device, and to convert the street address into the
latitude and longitude corresponding to the location of the
television receiving device.
9. A system for receiving television signals, comprising: at least
one antenna device configured to receive over-the-air television
signals from over-the-air terrestrial antennas; a television
receiving device configured to be set to receive over-the-air
television signals from select over-the-air terrestrial antennas
via the at least one antenna device; and a processor configured to
set the television receiving device to receive over-the-air
television signals from the select over-the-air terrestrial
antennas, and to determine the select over-the-air terrestrial
antennas based on location information of one of the television
receiving device and the at least one antenna device and location
information of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
antennas.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to
determine the select over-the-air terrestrial antennas as at least
part of a subset of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
antennas based on the location information of the one of the
television receiving device and the at least one antenna device and
the location information of the plurality of over-the-air
terrestrial antennas, and to scan only for frequencies at which
over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the subset transmit
over-the-air terrestrial television signals.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein scanning for the frequencies
yields a signal strength associated with each of the over-the-air
terrestrial antennas of the subset, and the processor is configured
to determine the select over-the-air terrestrial antennas as the
over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the subset for which the
associated signal strength is not less than a predetermined
threshold.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the processor
and the television receiving device is configured to steer the at
least one antenna device, the processor is configured to determine
a heading for each of the over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the
subset, and the processor is configured to scan for the frequency
of each of the over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the subset only
along the determined heading for the respective over-the-air
terrestrial antennas of the subset.
13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to
determine the select over-the-air terrestrial antennas as at least
part of a subset of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
antennas based on a distance between the one of the television
receiving device and the at least one antenna device and each of
the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial antennas.
14. The system of claim 10, wherein the location information of the
one of the television receiving device and the at least one antenna
device comprises a postal zipcode corresponding to a location of
the one of the television receiving device and the at least one
antenna device, the location information of the plurality of
over-the-air terrestrial antennas comprises, for each respective
over-the-air terrestrial antenna of the plurality, a postal zipcode
corresponding to a location of the respective over-the-air
terrestrial antenna, and the processor is configured to determine
the select over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the plurality of
over-the-air terrestrial antennas based on a distance between a
predetermined location associated with the postal zipcode
corresponding to the location of the one of the television
receiving device and the at least one antenna device and a
predetermined location associated with the postal zipcode
corresponding to the location of the respective over-the-air
terrestrial antenna for each of the plurality of over-the-air
terrestrial antennas.
15. The device of claim 10, wherein the location information of the
one of the television receiving device and the at least one antenna
device comprises a latitude and a longitude corresponding to a
location of the one of the television receiving device and the at
least one antenna device, the location information of the plurality
of over-the-air terrestrial antennas comprises, for each respective
over-the-air terrestrial antenna of the plurality, a latitude and a
longitude corresponding to a location of the respective
over-the-air terrestrial antenna, and the processor is configured
to determine the select over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the
plurality of over-the-air terrestrial antennas based on a distance
between the latitude and longitude corresponding to the location of
the one of the television receiving device and the at least one
antenna device and the latitude and longitude corresponding to the
location of the respective over-the-air terrestrial antenna for
each of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial antennas.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to
receive the location information of the one of the television
receiving device and the at least one antenna device as a street
address defining the location of the one of the television
receiving device and the at least one antenna device, and to
convert the street address into the latitude and longitude
corresponding to the location of the one of the television
receiving device and the at least one antenna device.
17. A method for setup of a device for receiving over-the-air
television signals from over-the-air terrestrial antennas, the
method comprising: determining location information of the device;
determining location information of a plurality of over-the-air
terrestrial antennas; determining a subset of the plurality of
over-the-air terrestrial antennas based on the determined location
information of the device and the determined location information
of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial antennas; and setting
the device to receive over-the-air television signals from at least
part of the subset of over-the-air terrestrial antennas based at
least in part on a strength of over-the-air television signals
received at the device from the subset of the plurality of
over-the-air terrestrial antennas.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining the
strength of over-the-air television signals received at the device
from the subset of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
antennas by scanning only for frequencies at which over-the-air
terrestrial antennas of the subset transmit over-the-air
terrestrial television signals.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: determining a
heading for each of the over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the
subset; and scanning for the frequency of each of the over-the-air
terrestrial antennas of the subset only along the determined
heading for the respective over-the-air terrestrial antennas of the
subset.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the subset of the
plurality of over-the-air terrestrial antennas is based on a
distance between the device and each of the plurality of
over-the-air terrestrial antennas.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to television
receiving systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for
setting up such television receiving systems, including locating
terrestrial transmitters.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Expansion in television distribution services has led to a
variety of television sources, including satellite, cable, Internet
and over-the-air (OTA) terrestrial broadcasting. Most television
receiving devices are configured to be capable of receiving
television broadcasting from a plurality of sources. Typically, a
particular receiving device employed may be dedicated to a primary
source, while also being capable of receiving one or more
additional sources.
[0003] For example, a television receiving system may include a set
top box (STB) or other television receiving device and an
associated satellite dish configured to receive satellite
transmissions from a satellite television service provider. The STB
may also be configured to receive OTA terrestrial transmissions,
either via the satellite dish or a separate antenna. Further, the
STB may be configured to receive other data and/or programming
transmitted via the Internet, such as through a phone line and/or
wirelessly.
[0004] In such a television receiving system, the STB and/or the
satellite dish typically needs to be set up to receive television
broadcast signals based on the location of the system. For example,
the satellite dish needs to be oriented properly to receive signals
from a satellite associated with the satellite television service
provider. Thus, based on the geographic location of the television
receiving system, an installer may point the satellite dish as part
of an initial setup of the system.
[0005] Various systems and methods for setting up television
receiving systems are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,988
to Blonstein et al. discloses an approach for establishing the
installation location for a satellite-based television system.
According to Blonstein et al., the approach is designed to
eliminate the need for manual entry of location data and/or to
improve the accuracy of defining the installation location.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0006] When a television receiving system is configured to receive
OTA transmissions in addition to the primary source, such as a
cable or satellite television service provider, the system may also
need to be set up to receive the OTA terrestrial transmissions.
However, in such case, set up is not based on knowledge of the
location of the system, but is conventionally accomplished by the
system scanning for OTA terrestrial transmitters.
[0007] In such a conventional approach, the system may scan in all
possible directions and at all possible frequencies to identify OTA
terrestrial transmitters that provide a sufficient transmission
signal strength at the location of the system. This may be
relatively time consuming, which may be particularly undesirable
for the installer and/or the consumer. For example, the time
required for initial setup of the system by a technician is a cost
to the service provider and an inconvenience to the consumer,
having the technician in their home for an extended period of time.
Also, as the system may require a reset after initial installation,
either based on a power outage, a software glitch or the like, the
time required for setup may inconvenience the consumer by delaying
the consumer's enjoyment of the television service during that
time. Also, the system may be updated to account for new OTA
terrestrial transmitters as they become available by performing a
subsequent or even periodic scan for such new OTA terrestrial
transmitters.
[0008] As such, it may be desirable to provide an improved approach
to setup of a television receiving system for receiving OTA
terrestrial transmissions. The improved approach may be combined
with the setup of the system for receiving transmissions from a
primary source, such as cable or satellite, or may be a separate
setup, as appropriate or desired. In particular, the improved
approach may reduce the time required for the system to be set up
initially and/or upon reset of the system. Also, the improved
approach may facilitate updating the system to account for changes
in the OTA terrestrial transmitters, such as newly established OTA
terrestrial transmitters.
[0009] Thus, various systems and methods disclosed herein may
involve setting up a television receiving device or system for
receiving OTA terrestrial television transmissions.
[0010] One embodiment may take the form of a television receiving
device. The television receiving device may include: at least one
tuner configured to selectively tune a television channel from a
first plurality of television channels received from a primary
television programming source and a second plurality of television
channels received from a television programming source other than
the primary television programming source, the second plurality of
television channels received as over-the-air terrestrial television
signals; and a processor configured to set the at least one tuner
to receive the second plurality of television channels based on
location information of the television receiving device and
location information of a plurality of over-the-air terrestrial
broadcast antennas.
[0011] One embodiment may take the form of a system for receiving
television signals. The system may include: at least one antenna
device configured to receive over-the-air television signals from
over-the-air terrestrial antennas; a television receiving device
configured to be set to receive over-the-air television signals
from select over-the-air terrestrial antennas via the at least one
antenna device; and a processor configured to set the television
receiving device to receive over-the-air television signals from
the select over-the-air terrestrial antennas, and to determine the
select over-the-air terrestrial antennas based on location
information of one of the television receiving device and the at
least one antenna device and location information of the plurality
of over-the-air terrestrial antennas.
[0012] Another embodiment may take the form of a method for setup
of a device and/or system for receiving over-the-air television
signals from over-the-air terrestrial antennas. For example, the
method may include: determining location information of the device;
determining location information of a plurality of over-the-air
terrestrial antennas; determining a subset of the plurality of
over-the-air terrestrial antennas based on the determined location
information of the device and the determined location information
of the plurality of over-the-air terrestrial antennas; and setting
the device to receive over-the-air television signals from at least
part of the subset of over-the-air terrestrial antennas based at
least in part on a strength of over-the-air television signals
received at the device from the subset of the plurality of
over-the-air terrestrial antennas.
[0013] Another embodiment may take the form of a method for
updating television receiving systems and/or devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a home entertainment
system in which embodiments described herein may be employed.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a television
receiving device that may be employed in the systems and methods
described herein.
[0016] FIG. 3 is an example of a table that may be employed by the
systems and methods described herein.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method
for setup of a television receiving device.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method
for updating a television receiving device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] The following describes various embodiments of systems and
methods that may be used to setup a television receiving device
and/or system. Although specific embodiments may be described in
detail, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted or
otherwise used to restrict the scope of the disclosure provided
herein. It should be understood that the following description has
broad application, and the discussion of specific embodiments is
meant only to be exemplary, and is not intended to represent the
only embodiments contemplated and encompassed by this
disclosure.
[0020] As discussed above, various systems and methods disclosed
herein may allow for setup of a television receiving device and/or
system. Although the disclosure provided herein is provided in
terms of setup of a television receiving device/system, it should
be understood that the systems and methods described may also be
used to setup and/or update various other devices that are
configured to receive transmissions from terrestrial transmitters.
For example, it is contemplated that portable devices, such as cell
phones and the like, may be set up to receive terrestrial
transmissions from OTA antennas or cell towers based on a
"home-base" location. Further, as the location of the portable
device changes, such as with travel of the user, the portable
device may be set up or updated to receive terrestrial
transmissions from OTA antennas or cell towers based on the current
location.
[0021] Various systems and methods described herein may receive
installation information that defines a location of the television
receiving system. Any suitable method of determining the
installation information may be employed. Based on the received
installation information, OTA terrestrial antenna information for
one or more OTA terrestrial antennas may be determined or
identified for the location of the television receiving system. The
television receiving system may then perform a focused scan for the
determined/identified OTA terrestrial antenna(s) using the OTA
terrestrial antenna information.
[0022] As such, the television receiving system need not perform a
scan for all OTA terrestrial antennas. The television receiving
system may instead perform a scan for a subset of OTA terrestrial
antennas determined/identified for the particular location of the
television receiving system. For example, the television receiving
system may perform a scan for the subset of OTA terrestrial
antennas based on known transmission frequencies of the
determined/identified OTA terrestrial antennas. Additionally, when
the television receiving system includes a steerable antenna for
receiving OTA terrestrial television signals, the television
receiving system may perform the scan for the subset of OTA
terrestrial antennas based on computed headings of the
determined/identified OTA terrestrial antennas.
[0023] The headings of the determined/identified OTA terrestrial
antennas may be computed based on the location of the television
receiving system and the respective locations of the
determined/identified OTA terrestrial antennas. The location of the
television receiving system and the locations of the
determined/identified OTA terrestrial antennas may be defined in
any suitable terms, such as latitude and longitude.
[0024] Such an approach may reduce the time needed to set up the
television receiving system for receiving OTA terrestrial
television signals. For example, the time needed to scan for OTA
terrestrial antennas may be reduced by scanning only for the subset
of OTA terrestrial antennas. This may be accomplished by scanning
only for the known transmission frequencies of the subset of OTA
terrestrial antennas. Further, the time needed to scan for OTA
terrestrial antennas may be reduced by scanning for each known
transmission frequency of the subset of OTA terrestrial antennas at
the particular heading of the respective OTA terrestrial antenna of
the subset.
[0025] Such improved scanning for OTA terrestrial antennas may
facilitate an initial setup of the television receiving system to
receive OTA terrestrial television signals. Alternatively or
additionally, such improved scanning for OTA terrestrial antennas
may facilitate a reset of the television receiving system and/or
updating the television receiving system to receive OTA terrestrial
television signals from new OTA terrestrial antennas and/or OTA
terrestrial antenna locations. For example, when a new OTA
terrestrial antenna is established or the location of an existing
OTA terrestrial antenna is changed, the television receiving system
may be updated for receiving OTA terrestrial television signals
from the new and/or relocated OTA terrestrial antenna. These and
other advantages of the various systems and methods described
herein will become apparent from this disclosure.
[0026] In general, it may be desirable to setup a television
receiving system for receiving OTA terrestrial television signals
in addition to setting up the television receiving system for
receiving television signals from a primary source, such as cable
or satellite. As noted above, there may be a need for setting up
the television receiving system for receiving OTA terrestrial
television signals independent of any setup for receiving
television signals from the primary source. For example, updating
the television receiving system for receiving OTA television
signals may be desirable after the television receiving system is
set up, whereas no updating for the primary source may be
needed.
[0027] Approaches for setup of a television receiving system for
receiving OTA terrestrial television signals may involve novel
television receiving devices, novel television receiving antennas,
as well as novel systems and novel methods that allow a television
receiving device or system to be set up in an efficient manner for
receiving OTA terrestrial television signals.
[0028] The block diagrams shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the table shown
in FIG. 3 and the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are for
illustration only and are not intended to represent the only
possible displays, process flows and system configurations. In
particular, it should be understood that process steps may be
added, omitted and reordered as may be suitable to a particular
application. Also, individual components may be added, omitted,
replaced and interrelated as may be suitable to a particular
application. All details appurtenant to implementing the exemplary
processes and systems that are well understood in the art are
omitted for simplicity and clarity.
[0029] The systems and methods described herein may be employed,
for example, in a home entertainment or television receiving system
100, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Of course, it should be understood
that a home entertainment system or television receiving system and
the components thereof are merely examples to which the systems and
method described herein may be applied. As such, it should be
understood that any television receiving system or device that is
capable of receiving OTA terrestrial television signals may benefit
from or otherwise be employed with such systems and methods.
[0030] As illustrated, the television receiving system 100 may
include a set top box (STB) or receiver 110. A remote control
device 112 may be configured to wirelessly control the STB/receiver
110, as well as the other components of the television receiving
system 100, as discussed below. The STB/receiver 110 may be
configured to operate as a "hub" or central device for
interconnecting various other components of the television
receiving system 100. Alternatively, the STB/receiver 110 may be
configured to operate independently, with only data being
communicated therebetween, for example, for display or
recording.
[0031] The STB/receiver 110 may be configured to receive inputs
from an antenna 170, a satellite dish 180, and/or any other
suitable interface 190 (such as a telephone line, coaxial cable,
fiber optics, Ethernet, or the like), which are respectively
configured to receive OTA television signals via an OTA terrestrial
antenna 172, satellite signals from a satellite 182, and
appropriate signals from any other suitable interface 192. A basic
arrangement of the television receiving system 100 may include the
STB/receiver 110, one or more of the antenna 170, the satellite
dish 180 or the interface 190, and a television (TV)/monitor 120.
Typically, the antenna 170, the satellite dish 180 and/or the
interface 190, and the TV/monitor 120 are coupled to the
STB/receiver 110 so that television programs or other content via
the OTA terrestrial antenna 172, the satellite 182 and/or via a
data provider 192 may be communicated to the STB/receiver 110 and,
for example, displayed on the television monitor 120, as
appropriate or desired.
[0032] In such an arrangement, the remote control device 112 may be
configured to control the STB/receiver 110 as well as the
TV/monitor 120. Although not illustrated, it may be envisioned that
the STB/receiver 110 is coupled to a plurality of TV/monitors 120,
for example, for multiple room arrangements.
[0033] As illustrated in FIG. 1, additional components of the
television receiving system 100 may include a digital video
recorder (DVR) 130, or any other related device. Although the DVR
130 is illustrated as being coupled to the STB/receiver 110, it
should be understood that such a device may be incorporated in the
STB/receiver 110. The remote control device 112 may include
circuitry configured to control the STB/receiver 110 as well as
components, such as the TV/monitor 120 and/or the DVR 130.
[0034] The television receiving system 100 may be of any suitable
design capable of performing the functions and operations described
herein in relation thereto. Thus, it should be understood that the
particular implementation illustrated in FIG. 1 is only an example,
and that the disclosure provided herein is not limited to such an
implementation of a television receiving system 100.
[0035] As described above, the television receiving system 100 may
require an initial set up for receiving signals from a primary
source, such as a satellite television service provider (not
shown), and for receiving OTA signals from one or more OTA
television broadcast providers (also not shown). It should be
understood that the primary source may transmit signals via the
satellite 182, and that the OTA television broadcast provider(s)
may transmit signals via a respective OTA terrestrial antenna
172.
[0036] Initial setup of the television receiving system 100 for
receiving signals from the primary source, such as the satellite
television service provider, may be performed in any suitable
manner. For example, the television receiving system 100 may be set
up for receiving signals from the satellite television service
provider by methods such as those taught by Blonstein et al.
patent.
[0037] Initial setup of the television receiving system 100 for
receiving OTA signals from one or more OTA television broadcast
providers may be performed in conjunction with the initial setup of
the television receiving system 100 for receiving signals from the
primary source. The location of the television receiving system 100
may be determined in any suitable manner. For example, the manner
of determining the location of the television receiving system 100
may be the same as employed for the primary source setup, for
example, as taught in the Blonstein et al. patent.
[0038] Alternatively, the user and/or the installer may determine
and input the location of the television receiving system 100. The
primary source setup may not involve a determination of the
location of the system 100, may not provide a sufficiently accurate
determination, or may not be configured to share the determination
with the OTA setup. Thus, although the user and/or the installer
may or may not determine and input the location of the television
receiving system 100 for primary source setup, it should be
understood that the OTA setup may be involve such an operation in
various embodiments. For example, the user and/or the installer may
input longitude and latitude for the location of the television
receiving system 100, or may input a postal zipcode from which the
latitude and longitude may be determined. As yet another
alternative, a global positioning system (GPS) device may be
included in the STB/receiver 110, the antenna 170, or the dish 180.
It may be desirable to include the GPS device in the particular
component that is to actually receive OTA television transmissions,
such as the antenna 170 or the dish 180, so that greater accuracy
may be achieved.
[0039] To set up the television receiving system 100 for receiving
OTA signals from one or more OTA television broadcast providers,
the location (e.g., zipcode or latitude and longitude) of the
system 100, the STB/receiver 110, the antenna 170 or the dish 180
may be used to determine or identify a subset of OTA terrestrial
antennas 172 from which the television receiving system 100 may be
capable of receiving OTA television transmissions. For example, the
subset of OTA terrestrial antennas 172 may be determined/identified
as being associated with the zipcode for the system 100, or as
being within a predefined range (distance) of the zipcode or the
exact location of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or
dish 180.
[0040] In some embodiments, barriers to transmission of OTA
television signals may be taken into account to determine the
subset of OTA terrestrial antennas 172. For example, when the
location of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish
180 is in or near a relatively large city, employ a smaller range
(distance) may be employed to account for OTA transmission signals
being blocked by taller buildings or other structures. The smaller
range (distance) may be employed for all directions or for only
directions likely to be affected. For example, when the location of
the system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 is on a
north end of the city, a larger range may be employed for north,
east and/or west directions, as the range of OTA terrestrial
antennas in the south direction may be limited by the city to the
south. Similarly, when the location of the system 100, STB/receiver
110, antenna 170 or dish 180 is in or near a naturally occurring
barrier, such as the Rocky Mountains, a smaller range may be
employed, either in all directions or only those directions from
that location that are likely to be affected. It should be
understood, however, that man-made and/or naturally occurring
barriers may or may not be considered when searching to determine
the subset of OTA terrestrial antennas 172.
[0041] Once the subset of OTA terrestrial antennas 172 is
determined/identified for the particular location of the system
100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180, the STB/receiver
110 or other part of the system 100 may scan only for frequencies
at which the OTA terrestrial antennas 172 of the subset transmit.
In other words, scanning for only select frequencies may be
employed rather than scanning for all frequencies at which OTA
terrestrial antennas 172 may transmit.
[0042] Further, when the component that is to actually receive OTA
television transmissions, such as the antenna 170 or the dish 180,
is steerable or otherwise capable of being selectively pointed in
different directions or headings, the scanning may further be
limited to scanning for a particular frequency or frequencies at
particular directions or headings. For example, the STB/receiver
110 or other part of the system 100 may be configured to determine
headings for the OTA terrestrial antennas 172 of the subset based
on the location of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or
dish 180 and the location of the OTA terrestrial antennas 172 of
the subset. Thus, for each heading that the antenna 170 or dish 180
may be pointed that has one or more associated OTA terrestrial
antennas 172 of the subset, the STB/receiver 110 or other part of
the system 100 may scan only for the frequencies at which the one
or more associated OTA terrestrial antennas 172 transmit.
[0043] As noted above, the STB/receiver 110 may be configured to
determine or identify the subset of OTA terrestrial antennas 172
from which the television receiving system 100 may be capable of
receiving OTA television transmissions, to determine headings for
the OTA terrestrial antennas 172 of the subset, and/or to perform
scanning for frequencies at which OTA terrestrial antennas 172 may
transmit. One example of the STB/receiver 110 is depicted in FIG.
2.
[0044] FIG. 2 is a block diagram that shows various components that
may be used to implement various features of the present invention.
It should be understood that this diagram and the description
thereof is intended to provide a general understanding of how the
principles described herein may be implemented, and is not
exhaustive of implementations that may be envisioned. In
particular, it should be understood that the principles described
herein may be employed in various transmission systems, not
necessarily limited to television broadcast systems.
[0045] In the example of a direct broadcast satellite system,
packetized transmission according to the MPEG-2 standard may be
used as a primary source, although any programming source is
contemplated. Signals from the primary source may be received as
downlinked signals by the satellite dish 180. Front end processing
of the satellite signals may be accomplished by a low noise block
converter feed (LNBF) provided in the focal point of the dish. This
may involve converting the entire frequency band of the satellite
signals to a lower frequency range that may be efficiently
transmitted, for example, via coaxial cable to the STB/receiver
110.
[0046] The STB/receiver 110 may include a tuner 14, or a plurality
of tuners as appropriate or desired, which may select a specific
channel from the downlinked signal and feed the selected channel to
an error correction and packet synchronization module 24. The error
correction and packet synchronization module 24 may output a fully
compliant transport stream, which may be directed to a packet
demultiplexer 26. Various encoding or formats may be used.
[0047] The packet demultiplexer 26 may be an integrated circuit
that accepts the packetized, time domain multiplexed data stream of
the transport stream and routes the packets to various areas within
the STB/receiver 110. Audio may be output as an audio stream 27,
which may be accepted by an audio decompresser 30. Video may be
output as a video stream 25, which may be accepted by a video
decompresser 28. The audio stream 25 and the video stream 27 may be
fully compliant audio and video program elementary streams,
respectively. In addition to routing packets of data, the packet
demultiplexer 26 may also descramble encrypted data, provide
various buffering of the formatted data, and handle a program clock
reference to keep a local clock synchronized with the clock at the
uplink center (e.g., of the satellite television service provider,
not shown). Data 29 may be output from the demultiplexer 26 and
routed to a central processing unit (CPU) 16, which may assemble
the data 29 into an electronic program guide (EPG) 22 stored in a
memory or other storage medium 18.
[0048] The video decompresser 28 and the audio decompresser 30 may
accept one or more video stream 25 and/or audio stream 27,
respectively, and decompress them into baseband digital signals.
The video stream 25 may then fed to a video digital to analog
converter 32 and the audio stream 27 may be fed to a video digital
to analog converter 34. The converters 32 and 34 may decode the
digital signals and output resulting analog baseband signals to the
TV/monitor 120 and/or another device, such as a DVR.
[0049] The EPG 22 may comprise a database or otherwise access a
database containing information including, for example, names or
titles of viewing events (programs), corresponding channel numbers
and names, brief descriptions of the programs, start and finish
times, and rating and content information related to the events.
The central processing unit 16 may execute an EPG program 20, which
may take the information stored in the EPG 22 and output a graphic
file to a processor 17. The processor 17 may process the graphic
file and output a signal, which, after being filtered by a filter
19, may become a video baseband signal 23 that may be combined with
the video baseband signal 25 to be displayed on the
television/monitor 120.
[0050] A user may manipulate and/or provide input to the
STB/receiver 110 via a keypad 39 or a remote control device 40. The
remote control device 40 may communicate with the CPU 16 by sending
an infrared, radio frequency, or other wired or wireless signal to
a remote receiver 35, which may transfer commands to the CPU
16.
[0051] As discussed above, the STB/receiver 110 may be configured
to receive user input of location information of the system 100,
STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180, such as a postal zipcode
or latitude and longitude. Such location information may be stored,
for example, in the memory 18 either temporarily or permanently, as
appropriate or desired. Also, the location information of the
system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 may be
provided to the STB/receiver by an installer, or may be provided
automatically from the service provider as part of the setup
process, for example, via the satellite 182 and dish 180 or the
interface 190, such as a telephone line or the like.
[0052] Location information of a plurality of OTA terrestrial
antennas (e.g., 172 in FIG. 1) may also be stored in the memory 18.
For example, the location information of the plurality of OTA
terrestrial antennas may be stored in a lookup table, such as that
depicted in FIG. 3, discussed below. The location information of a
plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas may be in latitude and
longitude, for example, although any suitable location information
may be employed, such as a postal zipcode for each of the plurality
of OTA terrestrial antennas.
[0053] During initial setup of the STB/receiver 110 for receiving
OTA television signals, or updating of the STB/receiver 110 as
described herein, the CPU 16 may receive the location information
of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180,
either from user input or via another source, such as a GPS device
(not shown) that may be included as part of the STB/receiver 110 or
the antenna 180, for example. The CPU 16 may use the location
information of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or
dish 180 in conjunction with the location information of the
plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas stored in the memory 18 to
determine or identify a subset of the plurality of OTA terrestrial
antennas from which antenna 180 of the STB/receiver 110 may be
capable of receiving OTA television signals.
[0054] In one embodiment, the location information of a plurality
of OTA terrestrial antennas may be in the form of postal zipcodes,
with each of the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas being
associated with a particular zipcode based on the location of the
particular terrestrial antenna. As noted above, the location
information of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or
dish 180 may be in the form of a postal zipcode, latitude and
longitude, or otherwise.
[0055] In the case of location information of the system 100,
STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 in the form of a postal
zipcode, the CPU 16 may compare the zipcode for the location of the
system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 with the
zipcodes associated with the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas.
The CPU 16 may determine or identify a subset of the plurality of
OTA terrestrial antennas as those OTA terrestrial antennas having
the matching zipcode associated therewith.
[0056] In the case of location information of the system 100,
STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 in the form of latitude
and longitude, the CPU 16 may convert the received latitude and
longitude to a corresponding postal zipcode. Then, the CPU 16 may
compare the zipcode for the location of the system 100,
STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 with the zipcodes
associated with the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas, and may
determine or identify a subset of the plurality of OTA terrestrial
antennas as those OTA terrestrial antennas having the matching
zipcode associated therewith.
[0057] Alternatively, the CPU 16 may determine one or more zipcodes
that are within a predetermined distance of the received latitude
and longitude. As discussed above, such a determination may take
into account various barriers to OTA television transmissions. The
CPU 16 may then compare the one or more zipcodes determined for the
location of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish
180 with the zipcodes associated with the plurality of OTA
terrestrial antennas, and may determine or identify a subset of the
plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas as those OTA terrestrial
antennas having a zipcode associated therewith that matches one of
the one or more determined zipcodes.
[0058] In another embodiment, the location information of a
plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas may be in the form of
latitude and longitude, with each of the plurality of OTA
terrestrial antennas being associated with the latitude and
longitude of the location of the particular terrestrial antenna.
Again, as noted above, the location information of the system 100,
STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 may be in the form of a
postal zipcode, latitude and longitude, or otherwise.
[0059] In the case of location information of the system 100,
STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 in the form of a postal
zipcode, the CPU 16 may convert the zipcode for the location of the
system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 into a
latitude and longitude, such as the latitude and longitude of the
geometric center of the received zipcode or another predetermined
latitude and longitude associated with the received zipcode. The
CPU 16 may calculate a distance between the latitude and longitude
associated with the received zipcode and the latitude and longitude
of each of the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas. The CPU 16
may determine or identify a subset of the plurality of OTA
terrestrial antennas based on the calculated distances. For
example, a predetermined maximum distance from the location of the
system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 may be used
to determine or identify the subset, with those OTA terrestrial
antennas having a distance from the latitude and longitude
associated with the received zipcode that is not more than the
maximum distance being part of the subset. As discussed above, the
predetermined maximum distance may vary to account for barriers to
OTA transmissions, for example, applying a different maximum
distance for a particular direction from the location of the system
100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 that has such a
barrier.
[0060] In the case of location information of the system 100,
STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 in the form of latitude
and longitude, the CPU 16 may directly calculate a distance between
the latitude and longitude associated with the received zipcode and
the latitude and longitude of each of the plurality of OTA
terrestrial antennas. The CPU 16 may then determine or identify a
subset of the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas based on the
calculated distances, determining the subset of OTA terrestrial
antennas as including those having a distance from the received
latitude and longitude that is not more than a predetermined
maximum distance, as discussed above.
[0061] It should be understood that other forms of the location
information of a plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas and/or the
location information of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna
170 or dish 180 may be employed without departing from the
principles discussed above for determining or identifying the
subset of the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas.
[0062] Once the subset of OTA terrestrial antennas is determined or
identified, the CPU 16 may proceed to scan for frequencies
associated with the OTA terrestrial antennas of the subset. As
such, the number of frequencies to be scanned for is reduced as
compared to the number of frequencies employed by the plurality of
OTA terrestrial antennas. Thus, the scan for the frequencies
associated with the OTA terrestrial antennas of the subset may take
less time as compared to a scan for all frequencies employed by the
plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas.
[0063] As discussed above, when the antenna or dish 170, 180 is
steerable, the scanning for the frequencies associated with the OTA
terrestrial antennas of the subset may be limited to headings from
the location of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or
dish 180 to the OTA terrestrial antennas of the subset. For
example, the CPU 16 may also compute a heading for each of the OTA
terrestrial antennas of the subset using the location information
(e.g., postal zipcode, latitude and longitude, or the like) of the
system 100, STB/receiver 110, antenna 170 or dish 180 and the
location information associated with each of the of the OTA
terrestrial antennas of the subset. It should be noted that such
computations may be performed after the subset has been determined
or identified to minimize computational cost, by not computing
headings for any of the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas not
included in the subset.
[0064] In such embodiments, the CPU 16 may perform scanning for
frequencies associated with the OTA terrestrial antennas of the
subset based on the determined headings. For example, with the
antenna or dish 170, 180 directed along one of the computed
headings, the CPU 16 may perform scanning for only the frequencies
associated with the OTA terrestrial antennas of the subset that
have that one of the computed headings. The CPU may likewise
perform scanning with the antenna or dish 170, 180 directed along
each of the other computed headings until scanning has been
completed for all headings of the subset of OTA terrestrial
antennas.
[0065] As discussed above, the scanning may be targeted based on
both frequency and heading to minimize the time required to
complete the scanning process. The scanning process may involve
determining or identifying OTA terrestrial antennas of the subset
for which a sufficiently strong transmission signal is received by
the antenna or dish 170, 180. Those determined or identified OTA
terrestrial antennas of the subset may then be selected and set as
OTA terrestrial antennas which the television receiving system is
configured to receive, for example, by setting the tuner 14 to
receive the frequency of each of the selected OTA terrestrial
antennas on a respective channel. Further, when the antenna or dish
170, 180 is steerable, the system may be configured to point the
antenna or dish 170, 180 along the heading for the particular OTA
terrestrial antenna associated with the frequency currently being
tuned in by the tuner 14.
[0066] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a lookup table 200 of
location information that may be used in the systems and methods
described herein. As illustrated, the lookup table 200 may include
location information for a plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas
1-N. Each OTA terrestrial antenna may be denoted by a suitable
identifier, such as the transport stream identifier (TSID) of the
television channel broadcast by the antenna. In the case of a
television channel being broadcast by more than one of the
plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas, the identifiers of such
antennas may provide differentiation therebetween. As appropriate
or desired, the system 100 and/or the STB/receiver 110 may be
configured to be set up to receive OTA television transmission
signals from one of the OTA terrestrial antennas that broadcast a
given television channel, for example, by selecting the OTA
terrestrial antenna that broadcasts the given television channel
with a strongest signal as received by the antenna 170.
Alternatively, the system 100 and/or the STB/receiver 110 may be
configured to receive OTA television signals from the other OTA
terrestrial antenna(s) that broadcast(s) the given television
channel as a backup in case the OTA terrestrial antenna that
broadcasts the given television channel with the strongest signal
becomes disabled.
[0067] It should be understood that the plurality of OTA
terrestrial antennas included in the lookup table 200 may vary. For
example, it may be unnecessary to include all existing OTA
terrestrial antennas in the table for a given television receiving
system 100 and/or STB/receiver 110. The lookup table 200 may be
limited, for example, to OTA terrestrial antennas that are
associated with a particular geographic region, time zone or the
like, for which the system 100 and/or STB/receiver 110 is initially
intended. This may reduce the memory or storage space needed for
the lookup table 200, as well as reduce the number of calculations
and/or computations that are performed during the setup of the
system 100 for receiving OTA television transmissions.
[0068] For example, if a customer receiving a new installation
resides in a particular geographic region, time zone or the like,
the lookup table 200 stored in the memory 18 of the STB/receiver
110 delivered to the customer may be tailored to that geographic
region, time zone or the like. Employing suitably large geographic
regions or the like may minimize the number of different lookup
tables needed. Further, such geographic regions or the like may
take into account barriers to OTA transmissions. For example, the
Rocky Mountains may define a region, with areas on either side of
the Rocky Mountains defining different regions.
[0069] When a customer moves from one region to another, the lookup
table 200 may be updated to the new region by any suitable method,
such as via transmission of data for the table via a satellite or
cable network associated with the STB/receiver 110, or via a
backchannel such as a telephone network or the like. Further, the
lookup table 200 may be updated to include newly established OTA
terrestrial antennas and/or to include location information that
has changed for any of the OTA terrestrial antennas already
included in the lookup table.
[0070] The lookup table 200 may include location information for
each of the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas included in the
lookup table. As illustrated, the location information in the
lookup table 200 may include the latitude and longitude associated
with each of the OTA terrestrial antennas included in the lookup
table. Additionally or alternatively, the location information in
the lookup table 200 may include the postal zipcode associated with
each of the OTA terrestrial antennas included in the lookup table.
It should be understood, however, that the lookup table 200 may
include location information in any suitable form other than the
latitude and longitude and the zipcode, either in addition thereto
or instead thereof. Further, the lookup table 200 may include the
broadcast frequency associated with each of the OTA terrestrial
antennas included in the lookup table, that is, the frequency at
which the particular OTA terrestrial antenna broadcasts its signal.
It should be understood that knowledge of the frequency may be
helpful for the scanning and/or tuning process.
[0071] It should be understood that a plurality of lookup tables
may be employed. For example, the lookup table 200 may include
postal zipcodes, but not latitude and longitude associated with
each of the OTA terrestrial antennas included in the lookup table.
A secondary lookup table (not shown) may match postal zipcodes with
corresponding latitude and longitude values. Thus, when only the
postal zipcode is known by the system, whether input by the user,
technician or otherwise determined, the system may determine the
corresponding latitude and longitude.
[0072] Embodiments of the system 100 and/or the STB/receiver 110
may be configured to perform a method 300 as illustrated in FIG. 4.
The process may begin at S310, where a setup mode may be initiated.
The setup mode may be initiated by a user or an installer employing
the remote control device 112 and/or the keypad 39 of the
STB/receiver 110. Alternatively, the setup mode may be initiated by
the service provider, such as via the satellite 182 and dish 180 or
the interface 190, such as a telephone line or the like. The setup
mode may involve setup of the system 100 and/or the STB/receiver
110 both to receive television transmissions from a primary source,
such as a satellite television provider, and to receive OTA
television transmissions from OTA terrestrial antennas. However,
the illustrative method 300 does not include setup of the system
100 and/or the STB/receiver 110 to receive television transmissions
from the primary source, as this may be accomplished by any known
method.
[0073] Once in the setup mode, the process may continue to S320,
where location information of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, or
antenna 170 may be received by the STB/receiver 110 from any
suitable source. As discussed above, the location information of
the system 100, STB/receiver 110, or antenna 170 may be received
from input by a user or an installer, or from the service provider
based on the customer's address, for example. Additional or
alternatively, the location information of the system 100,
STB/receiver 110, or antenna 170 may already be known from the
setup of the system 100 and/or the STB/receiver 110 to receive
television transmissions from the primary source. In any case, this
location information may be temporarily or permanently stored in
the memory 18 of the STB/receiver 110 for use by the CPU 16.
[0074] Once the location information of the system 100,
STB/receiver 110, or antenna 170 has been received, the process may
continue to S330, where a plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas may
be evaluated to determine or identify a subset of the plurality of
OTA terrestrial antennas. As discussed above, this may involve
comparing the location information of the system 100, STB/receiver
110, or antenna 170 with the location information of the plurality
of OTA terrestrial antennas. In such case, the CPU 16 may perform
such comparing to determine which of the plurality of OTA
terrestrial antennas have location information that matches the
location information of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, or
antenna 170.
[0075] Alternatively, the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas may
be evaluated to determine a subset of the plurality of OTA
terrestrial antennas by calculating a distance between the system
100, STB/receiver 110, or antenna 170 and each of the plurality of
OTA terrestrial antennas. The calculated distances may be used to
determine or identify which of the plurality of OTA terrestrial
antennas are part of the subset. For example, as discussed above,
each of the distances may be compared to a predetermined maximum
distance, with only the OTA terrestrial antennas having calculated
distances that are within the predetermined maximum distance being
included in the subset.
[0076] Once the subset of OTA terrestrial antennas has been
determined, the process may optionally proceed to S340, where a
heading may be computed for each of the OTA terrestrial antennas of
the subset. As discussed above, this operation may be performed
when the antenna 170 is configured to receive OTA television
signals is steerable.
[0077] The process may then proceed to S350, where the system 100
or the STB/receiver 110 performs scanning for the OTA terrestrial
antennas of the subset. As discussed above, such scanning may
involve scanning for the frequencies at which the OTA terrestrial
antennas included in the subset transmit or broadcast television
signals. Additionally, when the antenna 170 configured to receive
OTA television signals is steerable and the headings are computed
at S340, such scanning may involve scanning for the particular
frequencies of the OTA terrestrial antennas included in the subset
along the particular headings.
[0078] Once the scanning is performed, the process may continue to
S360, where the system 100 or the STB/receiver 110 may be set to
receive OTA television signals from select ones of the OTA
terrestrial antennas of the subset. The select ones of the OTA
terrestrial antennas may be determined based on the strength of the
signals received by the antenna 170 during the scanning at S350.
For example, a threshold signal strength may be determined that is
sufficient to maintain reliable reception of an OTA terrestrial
television signal. As such, only the OTA terrestrial antennas of
the subset that meet or exceed this threshold signal strength
during scanning may be included in the select ones from which the
system 100 or the STB/receiver 110 is set to receive OTA television
signals.
[0079] Once the system 100 or the STB/receiver 110 has been set to
receive OTA television signals from the select ones of the OTA
terrestrial antennas of the subset, the process may continue to
S370, where the process may end.
[0080] It should be understood that the foregoing method 300 is
only an example, and that modifications may be made without
altering the general principles. For example, it should be
understood that any of the approaches discussed herein may be
employed to carry out a method for setting up a system and/or
device for receiving OTA television signal from one or more OTA
terrestrial antennas.
[0081] In view of the foregoing, it should be understood that, in
general, the method of setup may be based on the location
information of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, or antenna 170 and
the location information of the plurality of OTA terrestrial
antennas. As described herein, the method of setup may avoid
scanning for all headings and/or all frequencies of the plurality
of OTA terrestrial antennas by determining or identifying a subset
of the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas. It should be
understood that this approach may be extended, as appropriate or
desired, to allow updating of the system 100 and/or the
STB/receiver 110 to account for changes in location of the system
100, STB/receiver 110, or antenna 170, changes in the location of
one or more of the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas, and/or
establishment of one or more new OTA terrestrial antennas
potentially within range for reception by the antenna 170 of the
system 100.
[0082] Embodiments of the system 100 and/or the STB/receiver 110
may be configured to perform a method 400 for updating the system
100 and/or the STB/receiver 110 as illustrated in FIG. 5. The
process may begin at S410, where a change in reception
possibilities of OTA television signals by the system 100 and/or
the STB/receiver 110 is determined. The change may be determined by
the user or the installer, or may be determined by the service
provider. For example, the user, the installer and/or the service
provider may initiate updating based on installation of the system
100 and/or the STB/receiver 110 at a different location, as when
the customer has changed residence. Also, the user and/or the
service provider may initiate updating when aware of changes in OTA
terrestrial antennas from which the system 100 and/or the
STB/receiver 110 may receive OTA television signals.
[0083] In case of the service provider determining a change in
reception possibilities or otherwise initiating updating of the
system 100 and/or the STB/receiver 110, the updating may be
performed without user interaction and without interruption of
service of television programming from either the primary source or
the OTA terrestrial antennas from which the system 100 and/or the
STB/receiver 110 is already set to receive OTA television signals.
For example, the updating process may be performed without the user
even being aware that updating is occurring. Alternatively, the
user may be notified, either to begin the updating process or to
implement the update to reset the system 100 and/or the
STB/receiver 110 to include the changes.
[0084] Thus, the process may continue to S420, where the user is
asked whether or not to perform updating. Based on receipt of a
user reply or the lack thereof, a determination may be made at S420
whether or not to continue the process. If not, the process may
jump to S490, where the process may end.
[0085] Otherwise, the process may continue to S430, where location
information of the system 100, STB/receiver 110, or antenna 170 may
be received by the STB/receiver 110. S430 may be bypassed, for
example, where the location information of the system 100,
STB/receiver 110, or antenna 170 has not changed. For example, the
process may or may not include a query to the user or installer
asking whether or not such location information has changed. If
not, the process may continue using the location information of the
system 100, STB/receiver 110, or antenna 170 as stored in the
memory 18 of the STB/receiver 110, for example.
[0086] The process may continue to S440, where a plurality of OTA
terrestrial antennas may be evaluated to determine or identify a
subset of the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas. The plurality
of OTA terrestrial antennas evaluated may be the same described
above for initial setup, such as when the location information of
the system 100, STB/receiver 110, or antenna 170 has changed.
Alternatively, the plurality of OTA terrestrial antennas evaluated
may only include the OTA terrestrial antennas for which a change
has occurred, such as in location and/or frequency, and/or newly
established OTA terrestrial antennas. Any of the approaches
discussed above with respect to the method 300 may be employed for
determining or identifying the subset.
[0087] As above, once the subset of OTA terrestrial antennas has
been determined, the process may optionally proceed to S450, where
a heading may be computed for each of the OTA terrestrial antennas
of the subset. As discussed above, this operation may be performed
when the antenna 170 configured to receive OTA television signals
is steerable.
[0088] The process may then proceed to S460, where the system 100
or the STB/receiver 110 performs scanning for the OTA terrestrial
antennas of the subset. As discussed above, such scanning may
involve scanning for the frequencies at which the OTA terrestrial
antennas included in the subset transmit or broadcast television
signals, with or without headings taken into account.
[0089] Once the scanning is performed, the process may continue to
S470, where optionally the user is asked whether or not implement
an update. This may be desirable where the process may be performed
without service interruption up to this point, but not to the point
of setting the system 100 or the STB/receiver 110 to receive OTA
television signals from select ones of the OTA terrestrial antennas
of the subset, at S480. Implementing an update may temporarily
interrupt service, for example, when OTA broadcast television
signals are being viewed, and thus a user may wish to postpone or
decline an update. Based on receipt of a user reply or the lack
thereof, a determination may be made at S470 whether or not to
continue the process. If not, the process may jump to S490, where
the process may end.
[0090] Otherwise, the process may continue to S480, where the
system 100 or the STB/receiver 110 may be set to receive OTA
television signals from the select ones of the OTA terrestrial
antennas of the subset. The select ones of the OTA terrestrial
antennas may be determined as discussed above.
[0091] Once the system 100 or the STB/receiver 110 has been updated
by setting at S480, the process may continue to S490, where the
process may end.
[0092] It should be understood that the flowchart of FIG. 5 is only
an example, and that other methods, whether by addition of
operations, omission of operations, and/or reordering of
operations, may be envisioned. As such, it should be understood
that any suitable flow of operations may be determined as
appropriate or desired for a given implementation of updating the
setup of a system or device for receiving OTA television signals
from OTA terrestrial antennas based on the description provided
herein.
[0093] The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the
invention. Various modifications and alterations to the described
embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of
the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those
skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems,
arrangements and methods which, although not explicitly shown or
described herein, embody the principles of the invention and are
thus within the spirit and scope of the present invention. From the
above description and drawings, it will be understood by those of
ordinary skill in the art that the particular embodiments shown and
described are for purposes of illustration only and are not
intended to limit the scope of the present invention. References to
details of particular embodiments are not intended to limit the
scope of the invention.
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